U.S. 21 BLOCKED - A propane gas tanker (above) overturned early Wednesday afternoon on U.S. 21 North near the Wilkes/Alleghany county line, putting a broad emergency effort in motion. The highway reopened Saturday morning, according to a spokesperson with the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department.

U.S. 21 blocked after tanker wreck

Emergency workers were forced to unload and then burn a portion of the contents of a propane gas tanker truck, which wrecked Feb. 19 and blocked U.S. 21 North in Wilkes County near the Alleghany County line. The road remained closed until Saturday at 10:30 a.m. A portion of the liquid propane (LP) gas the truck was carrying was pumped into other trucks, while the remainder was burned off by a hazardous materials team. After the gas was removed, the rig, which was lying across both lanes in a sharp curve, was also moved, according to Suzanne Hamby, Wilkes Emergency Management director.

The truck, owned by G&B Energy of North Bridge Street, Elkin, was being driven by Talmadge Elmer Crouse of Stardust Lane, Glade Valley. Crouse said he was traveling north to Sparta, having picked up his load of LP gas in South Carolina, when the truck went off on the right in a curve. He was heading up a steep grade.

The rig began swaying and overturned across the highway, Crouse said. The driver said he wasn't hurt in the wreck and that there was no gas leak.

Diesel fuel and other fluids from the rig also spilled across the highway.

U.S. 21 was immediately closed, with northbound traffic diverted onto Traphill Road in Wilkes and southbound traffic diverted onto Oklahoma Road in Alleghany. The highway was been barricaded in both directions and no one was allowed through as hazardous materials teams responded and worked on the scene.

Specifically, Surry emergency management officials immediately dispatched the county's hazardous materials unit, where it has remained throughout. Wilkes Assistant Fire Marshal Niki Hamby is being assisted at the scene by personnel from the Surry fire marshal's office. Fire departments in Wilkes and the Cherry Lane Volunteer Fire Department assisted the State Road Fire Department in four-hour shifts with traffic control, based on a schedule set up by the emergency management department, she explained. Firefighters also manned pumper trucks near the overturned tanker.

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